Located at the corner of East Seventh Street and Minnehaha Avenue, the Hub is being billed as an "educational streetscape," with illustrated panels highlighting key moments in 3M's history on the East Side. The panels are mounted on limestone salvaged from Building 42, the old 3M office tower. (Courtesy 3M)

The former 3M campus in St. Paul is gradually being converted into the Beacon Bluff Business Center, but a new half-acre gateway is intended to keep some of the company’s legacy alive while providing a touch of green space.

Located at the corner of East Seventh Street and Minnehaha Avenue, the Hub is being billed as an “educational streetscape,” with illustrated panels highlighting key moments in 3M’s history on the East Side. The panels are mounted on limestone salvaged from Building 42, the old 3M office tower.

To demonstrate natural, conventional and modern stormwater systems, three 10-foot-tall steel arcs with artistic images cut into them disperse water into permeable pavers.

In addition, a rain garden features a sculpture from Twin Cities artist Gita Ghei that was funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

“It’s the first time the Port Authority has ever received any NEA funding, so that’s kind of a cool thing,” said Monte Hilleman, a Port Authority vice president of real estate development.

Another public art sculpture by an artist affiliated with the East Side Arts Council will be installed this fall.

Hilleman said the site, which is officially parkland, is owned and maintained by the Port Authority. It borders the employee patio of the East Side Family Clinic and is connected by sidewalk to the old 3M headquarters, Building 21.

After a century on the East Side, 3M relocated from St. Paul to Maplewood in 2008 and 2009, leaving the Port Authority to sell and redevelop the 46-acre property. Since then, employers such as Loomis Armored, HealthEast Medical Transportation and Baldinger Bakery have broken ground.

The Hub dedication will take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Friday. St. Paul City Council Members Kathy Lantry and Dan Bostrom are expected to attend. Parking will be provided in front of Building 21 at 777 N. Forest St.

Residents are invited to stick around the Hub afterward for a community and small business celebration, “Night Out on East 7th Street,” which takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. along East Seventh from Maria to Forest avenues.

Frederick Melo came to the Pioneer Press in 2005 and brings an aggressive East Coast attitude to St. Paul beat reporting. He spent nearly six years covering crime in the Dakota County courts before switching focus to the St. Paul mayor's office, city council, and all things neighborhood-related, from the city's churches to its parks and light rail. A resident of Hamline-Midway, he is married to a Frogtown woman. He Tweets manically at @FrederickMelo

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